Fieldays hold out the begging bowl
OPINION: When someone says “we don’t want a handout, we need a hand up” it usually means they have both palms out and they want your money.
The Hound is picking up a lot of negative feedback around the traps about the arrogant stance of National Fieldays organisers.
It’s obvious, due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the cancellation of mass gatherings, a big event like Fieldays (due to be held in June) seems a remote, if not impossible, prospect of taking place.
However, despite this Fieldays is deliberately procrastinating about refunding those customers who have already forked out huge fees for this year’s event.
It is also putting heat on those exhibitors who have not paid yet – telling them to pay up now or miss out on securing a site for the 2021 event.
Compare this with Central Districts Field days, which had to cancel its event with less than one week’s notice yet still refunded 100% of exhibitor site fees immediately.
Surely, in these troubled times National Fieldays should be doing the right thing and refunding its exhibitors.
The Government is set to announce two new acts to replace the contentious Resource Management Act (RMA) with the Prime Minister hinting that consents required by farmers could reduce by 46%.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change would be “a really dumb move”.
The University of Waikato has broken ground on its new medical school building.
Undoubtedly the doyen of rural culture, always with a wry smile, our favourite ginger ninja, Te Radar, in conjunction with his wife Ruth Spencer, has recently released an enchanting, yet educational read centred around rural New Zealand in one hundred objects.
Farmers are being urged to keep on top of measures to control Cysticerus ovis - or sheep measles - following a spike in infection rates.
The avocado industry is facing an extremely challenging season with all parts of the supply chain, especially growers, being warned to prepare for any eventuality.

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